By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Thousands of athletes braved temperatures in the 90s and swam down the Hudson River, cycled along the Henry Hudson Parkway and ran through Central Park as part of the New York City Triathlon on Sunday.

By AZAM AHMED and SANDRA E. GARCIA

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Americans celebrated 239 years as an independent nation on Saturday with extravagant fireworks displays, rock and classical concerts and parades both big and small. Here were some highlights of Independence Day festivities around the nation:

Times coverage from the late 1960s and the 1970s shows the South Bronx as a crumbling, desolate and dangerous place. Ángel Franco, a Times photographer, revisited neighborhoods featured in that coverage to see how the view has changed.

European Union officials have struggled to turn things around — debating new treaties, shoring up banks, securing more funding. The people of Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Latvia have dealt with economic troubles in various ways.